Normo's log...let's do this!!!

Normo

Normo

New Member
Hi all. After reading some amazing logs on this site I've been inspired to write my own. Keep me motivated and hopefully help some other guys/gals along.

Quick Stats

178lbs at about 13%bf
5ft 8"

Current best lifts

Incline dbell press 42kgx3
Squat 150kg x 1
Deadlift 175 kg (2reps)
Overhead press 75kg z 2

After running three successful Vanilla HST cycles a stupidly changed my training up and lost quite a bit of strength. Now I'm back on it...ready to hit the weights hard, eat well and grow. I'll be testing the maxes above at end of each cycles to see how i'm progressing. Hoping to deadlift nearer 200kg by end of year even if this means extending the 5's and doing more of a 5x5 before the year is out.

The plan is to increase volume from the Vanilla cycles a little and do;

Workout A - Squat, Incline dbell bench, Pendlay rows, GHR, seated shoulder press, lat pull down, calf raises, bicep curls and EZ tricep extensions

Workout B - Front squat, Dips, Rack chins, SL Deads (deads in 5's), Military press - focus on pressing through rear delts and lats, hammer rows, calf raises, d bell curls, pushdowns

I will do following sets and reps;
2x15 3x10 3-4x5+metabolic set of 12-15 reps (squats, sl deads, chest presses, back exercises)
1x15 1x10+5 2-3x5+metanolic set of 12-15 reps (delts, bis, tris)

I plan to hit the first amount of reps on each set but then cluster remaining reps if needed. I found this to be a great way to build strength and muscle whilst also recovering. More volume included for back to balance out stronger chest and front delts. I will be doing face pulls and band pull aparts between each pressing set from a physio standpoint to work rear delts. I will also do glute bridges between squat sets to activate glutes.

Anyway here goes...start tomorrow...let's do this...
 
First session done today. Trained fasted with just bcaa and scoop of coffee this morning at 5.30am before work. Finished earlier than expected so hit some Kettlebell circuits and spent more time stretching hip flexors and tight pecs.

Workout was...
squat 80kg 2 sets of 15
Incline dbells 26kg 2 sets of 15
Bent over rows 55kg 2 sets of 15
Unilateral Shoulder press machine 15kg each side 1 set of 15
Lat pull down 46kg 2 sets of 15 + 15 extra scapula retractions
GHR bw 2 sets of 15
Triceps ext laying with dbells 10kg 16th
Dbell curls 12kg 1 set of 32 (16 reps each arm)
Calves raises Smith machine 20kg a side 2 sets of 20

Really happy with first training session . Eaten like a monster all day. Feels good. I'll sleep well tonight and hit some Liss cardio before work tomorrow.:)
 
Trained fasted again this morning. Another good workout. Getting back into the groove. Looking forward to see if the slight increase in volume will make a difference.

Front squats 65kg 2x15 - pause at bottom at each rep well below parallel.
Dips bw+16kg 2x15- felt smooth although last 5 reps of second set were a bit too hard for my liking at this stage.
Rack chins bw 2x15 - lats already a little tender. Good stretch and pause at bottom and pause at tip of each rep.
Deadlifts - was going to do straight leg but changed mind. 85kg 1x15. Followed this up with a set of pull throughs (less taxing but hit same muscle. Focus on glute squeeze.)
Military press 45kg 1x15 + side laterals 7kg dbells 1x20
T bar rows 30kg 2x16
Pushdown 42kg 1x16+8
Curls barbell + 10kg 1x16+5

No time for cardio. Done 40mins walking in the glorious sunshine. About to hit 200 bodyweight calf raises. Let's do this...
 
Cheers sci.
Workout 3...again fasted early before work.

Felt good. It always takes a couple of workouts to get back into the flow of things.

Squats 90kg 1x15 / 1x10+5 (just reracked the weight to get composure)
Incline press 30kg dbells 2x15 (still fine)
Pendlay row 60kg 2x15 (best these have felt. Pause at top and at bottom. Really focused on squeezing scapula together before pulling the weight.)
Hammer shoulder press 17.5a side 1x15 superset with Side raise machine 23kg 1x20
Leg curl 43kg 2x15
Lat pull down 51kg 2x16 (felt easier than last time)
Dbell curls 14kg 1x16 +8
Triceps ext with dbell 12kg 1x18+4
Calf raises on smith 25kg each side 1x18 and 1x16

Tomorrow I'm going to rest and do absolutely nothing. Can't wait. Then on Sunday it all starts again.
 
Another productive workout. Think I'm going to change a few bits around. Going to think in terms of reps rather than sets. Thinking of 35-40 reps for quads and hams. Chest 25-30 reps (strong body part). Back (45 total reps - alternate between 2 horizontal pulls and one vertical and the opposite workout after). Delts 20 reps ( military press alternate with side delt exercise). 15 reps for bi and tri per session .

So....

Front squat 35 reps 70kg 15+11+5+4
Dips 25 reps bw+18kg 15+10
Rack chins 30 reps bw+5kg 13+10+7
Deadlifts (used 10 plates to create deficit) 15reps 90kg 15 - hams were blasted. Finished off hams with pull throughs 36kg X 18
Military press 20 reps 45kg 15+5
Tbar row 15reps 30kg 15 reps (4 second negative on each rep)
Push downs with v bar 15 reps 50kg X 15
Barbell curls 15 reps 7.5kg each side X 15 (slow negatives)

Calves are real nightmare muscle group. Going to try 20 reps of body weight raises every waking hour for a bit. See what happens.
 
Was at 15 rep max on workout A. Early morning workout but ate some fruit and whey before workout. Very tough workout but got through it...

Squats 100kg 16 +8+7+5 = 35 reps (the first set was brutal. Raced through first 8 or 9 and then suddenly hit a wall. Kept going.)
Incline dbell 32kg 14+11+5 =30 reps (didn't quite hit 15 reps but was really pleased. First cycle of hst I did 24kg for 1 set of 16 so made lots of progress)
Pendlay row 65kg 16+10+8 (need to use 20kg plates as when using 10s it's hard to get back parallel to floor.)
Hamstring curls 45.5kg 17 +14 =31 reps (very solid. Very good hamstring contraction)
Machine side lateral raises 36kg 20 reps (forgot what I did last time and ended up 16kg heavier :/ O well. Gotta beat it next time.)
Leg extension 45.5kg 19 reps (did these today as wanted to add an exercise just for quads without hamstring)
Lat pull down 61kg 16+10 (still easy but making sure I squeeze Scaps down before pulling on each rep).
Dbell laying tri ext 14kg 17+3
Dbell curls 16kg 12+6+2 (each arm)

When I got home this evening did 5 hiit sprints on stationary bike with 5 min warm up and cool down either side. Plan is to add a sprint every workout until I reach 10. Then I'll increase the resistance and start again from 5. Core workout done also. Calves are still been blasted every hour 20 reps.
 
Final workout of 15s. Brilliant workout today although a bit rushed down to time.

Front squats 77.5kg 16+8+7+5 (36reps) all reps well below parallel as far as I could go.
Decline bench 75kg 16+13+1(30reps) changed dips as clavicle was hurting a wee bit.
Rack Chins bw+7.5kg 14+9+8 (31 reps)
Deadlifts 100kg 15 reps (5 seconds rest between each rep in final 5 reps. 10kg plates still used for deficit. Really activates hams) finished off with pull throughs 43kg for 23 reps
Military press 47.5kg 13+2 ( re racked weight at 13 and took 5 deep reps)
T bar rows 35kg 18 reps (great contraction)
Pushdown v bar 50kg 20 straight reps (getting much stronger with these)

This evening just done single legged calf raises and glute bridges. Leg raises for abs.

All in all a great 15s. Legs feel much muxb fuller. Already feel much stronger. Onto the 10s.
 
Moved into 10s today. Very good workout. Everything felt smooth. Think the increase of frequency has helped so much.

Squat 105kg 10+10+6+4 (50kg leg extension after for 12 slow reps)
Incline dbell press 34kg 10+8+7 stopped short of failure each set. (will do same weight again but aim for 30 reps in total)
Pendlay row 70kg 12+10+10 (felt better using the 20kg plates as back was not as bent over reaching for weight)
Leg curls 50kg 14+14 (these were surprisingly easy) followed with some glute bridges.60kg 1x12 reps with 5 second pause at top of each rep. Glutes were biting.
Lat pull down 70kg 2x12 (again really smooth and easy so I added a second set)
Side lateral machine 41kg 1x16 followed by band raises. Then did rear delt raises with 8kg dbells 15 slow reps
Bicep curls 18kg dbells 20+6 (used fat grips to add challenge.
Tricep ext 16kg dbells 12+8
 
Early morning workout again. This time had some whey, bcaa and banana before hand.

Front squat 82.5 - 10+7+6+5+4+3 (35reps total). Followed by 10 slow sissy squats. Stayed away from failure on every set. The last 3 sets all but down to heels and paused for second. Felt very smooth.
Decline bench 75kg 11+10+9. Easy. Rear delts and lats driving through nicely.
Rack chins bw+10kg 10+10+10. Very good contraction at top and stretch at bottom.
Deadlifts 110kg (still done at deficit using 10 plates. Very solid set. Much more in tank.
Pull through 50kg 12+10
Military press 50kg 11+7
T bar rows 40kg 12+8 ( great squeeze shoulders retracted before pulling)
Bicep curls 35kg 10+9
Tricep dips machine 91kg 14+12. Maxed it out and far too easy. Probably will include close grip pushup weighted next time. They seem to fry my tris

Feeling really good at minute. Already hardening up a little and eating much more than before. Trying to go eat 140g protein. 400g carbs. 90g fats. Approx 3000 cals. May even up this a little more.
 
Well that was a surprisingly tough workout. Didn't see it coming. Although been doing some hiit cardio on off days for last week. It's probably caught up with me. I'll knock it on head and do some liss cardio.

Squats 110kg - 10 +5 +5 +5 +5 (as long as hit first set of target rep range I cluster remaining reps to keep fatigue at bay. Just get the work in. Finished with leg ext 55kg 12 reps
Incline press 34kg - 10 8 8 6 (same weight as last time but wanted to get over 30 reps)
Pendlay row 75kg - 10+10+9 (one set of underhand grip of 8 reps total at end. Thinking of putting some underhand grip rows in to help bicep size along)
Leg curls 55kg 12+11
Lat pull down 75kg 11+11 (underhand and then overhand)
Side lateral machine 43kg 11+5+4
Incline bicep curls 12kg 11+9 (used fat grips also. Felt wicked. Switched these in to get a better stretch)
Dips machine 96kg 12+12
Shrugs 30kg dbell - 16+16 (first set with head leaning against wall. Straight into conventional set)
 
Been in London so had a few days off from training.

Workout was good today although felt the effects of late nights and rubbish nutrition. Hit all my numbers however so quite pleased.

Front squat - 85kg - 10+5+5+5+5 sissy squat x15
Decline bench 80kg - 10+8+7 flyes stretch 3 X 20 seconds
Rack chins bw+15kg - 10+9+8+5
Deadlifts 120kg - 8 reps then followed by 6 more with 10-15 seconds rest between reps. Felt good still using 10kg plates to create deficit. Pull through 55kgx10+10
Military press 53.5kg 10+5+5
T bar row - 45kg - 12+10
Dbell extensions 18kg - 9+6+5
Barbell curls ez bar +11.25 each side. 10+8 (leant down row position before curling to try isolate biceps a little more.)
 
Training done and dusted by 8am this morning. Took a little longer than anticipated as I trained with a friend of mine. Sipped my bcaa and karbolyn mix towards the end of the workout.

Squat 115kg 10+5+4+4+2 (stopped at 25 reps) followed this with leg extensions 57kg x15
Incline press 36kg 10+6+6+5+3 (superset with pendlay row)
Pendlay row 80kg 10+10 overhand then did 80kg 10+8 underhand.
Leg curls 57.5kg 11+11
Pull down 79kg 12 overhand and 12 underhand. Form is getting great now with real scapular activation.
Side lateral machine 45.5kg 14+10 (very slow squeezed reps) medial delts felt blown up
Incline bicep curls 14kg 10+10 (will stay at same weight but add fat grips to add extra challenge next time.
Bodyweight dips 12+11 (really focused on pressing through triceps and being upright. Felt great)
Shrugs 32kg 16+14.

All in all another solid workout. I can feel intensity building now so going to start chowing down on some extra calories probably from protein to help recovery along. Going to add in the hiit again as feel I am losing a little fitness. Going to do more like 20 seconds sprit and 1min40 rest. Let's see what happens.

So far so good. Still ahead of all weight progressions and reps from previous hst cycle. Some things way ahead which is damn great. I need to try improve my back squatting Form. Leaning too far forward. Front squats are spot on. Think I need more core strength.
 
Another one under my belt.

Front squat 90kg 10+5+5+4+2+2 (the final 2 doubles were paused ass on calves for 5 seconds each rep before powering up) really felt all muscles working together
Decline press 90kg 10+6+5+4 (every rep paused on chest. I need squat more than I can press. That's poor really. Lol)
Rack chins bw+20kg 10+7+6+6
Deadlifts 125kg 8 reps then used straps for final 2 to make 10 in total (still deficit deads)
Military press 55kg X 10+5+5
Pull throughs 64kg X 12+11
Sissy squats (15 reps with 5 second negative each rep)

Not really putting weight on but I am stronger than my last hst cycle. Need to up my calories I think. Scared of getting fat. Lol
 
Until the last three months or so, I've always had that same issue. It doesn't help that squats suck balls.

@Normo - if you're leaning too far forward, it's almost certainly due to your posterior chain being too much stronger than your quads. Front squats are an ok way to address this. Box squats are also brilliant, they'll force you into having an upright (or more upright) back from parallel upwards.
 
Cheers jester. I will try adding a couple of box squats sets and do only one working set of back squats to try and bring quads up. I'll keep the front squats in too.

I definitely have a squatters bum lol. All in glutes and hams as you say.
 
First day back to work for 2 weeks today. Trained before work so had to be there at 6am to get finished.
Trained fasted apart from pre workout and bcaa mix. I really do feel stronger and better fasted so I'm going to do this whatever I read on the matter. Lol.

Anyway...
Squats 120kg - 10+5+4+3+2+1
Incline dbell - 38kg 9+6+5+4+2
Pendlay row - 85kg - 10+8 (overhand) 8 more underhand grip
Leg extension 60kg 2x12 ( really slow)
Pull downs - 84kg 12 overhand 11 underhand
Leg curl 60kg - 11+10
Side raise machine 49kg - 12+8
Tricep giant set - dips bw+16kg x10 / pushdown 67kgx10 / close grip pushup x12 ( want to bring triceps up so will include this every other workout)
Biceps - didn't have time unfortunately

Finished work and got home at 6.30pm. Did some 30 second glute raises and some core work with a couple of tabata workouts thrown in.

All in all...A good day :)
 
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